SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A 24-year-old man was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of an elderly Thai man whose 2021 killing in San Francisco helped spark a national movement against anti-Asian American violence.
A jury did not find Antoine Watson guilty of murder when it returned a verdict Thursday for the January 2021 attack on 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee. Jurors found Watson guilty on the lesser charges of involuntary manslaughter and assault.
The office of San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins declined to comment, saying that the jury was still empaneled. Jurors will return Jan. 26 to hear arguments on aggravating factors and sentencing will be scheduled once that is completed, the office said in an email.
Vicha Ratanapakdee was out for his usual morning walk in the quiet neighborhood he lived in with his wife, daughter and her family when Watson charged at him and knocked him to the ground. The encounter was captured on a neighbor's security camera. Ratanapakdee died two days later, never regaining consciousness.
His family says he was attacked because of his race, but hate crime charges were not filed and the argument was not raised in trial. Prosecutors have said hate crimes are difficult to prove absent statements by the suspect.
Watson testified on the stand that he was in a haze of confusion and anger at the time of the unprovoked attack, according to KRON-TV. He said he lashed out and didn't know that Ratanapakdee was Asian or elderly.
San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, whose office defended Watson, extended his sympathies to the victim's family and said the defendant is “fully remorseful for his mistake.”
“While this death was a terrible tragedy and has garnered a lot of press attention, the importance of our legal system is that it gives us a chance to look at the facts in a balanced way,” he said in a statement.
Hundreds of people in five other U.S. cities joined in commemorating the anniversary of Ratanapakdee's death in 2022, all of them seeking justice for Asian Americans who have been harassed, assaulted, and even killed in alarming numbers since the start of the pandemic.
Asians in America have long been subject to prejudice and discrimination, but the attacks escalated sharply after the coronavirus first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. More than 10,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported to the Stop AAPI Hate coalition from March 2020 through September 2021.
The incidents involved shunning, racist taunting and physical assaults.
FILE - Flowers are left with pictures of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee during a rally attended by hundreds of people on Jan. 30, 2022, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Janie Har, File)
FILE - Monthanus Ratanapakdee holds a photo of her father, 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, and stands in front of the San Francisco apartment building where he was attacked last year and later died of his injuries, on Jan. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Terry Chea, File)
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United managers come and go with disturbing regularity and Pep Guardiola has faced a few since taking charge at Manchester City 10 years ago.
On Saturday in fact, Michael Carrick becomes the sixth.
That number sums up the varying fortunes of the Manchester rivals over the past decade, with City dominating the Premier League and conquering Europe while United has lurched from one crisis to another.
Asked on Friday what the secret was to his longevity, Guardiola's answer was brief.
“Results,” he said. "If you don’t win, you’re sacked. So we won a lot. That’s why I’m still sitting here. There’s no other secret."
Guardiola has won 15 major trophies at City, including six Premier Leagues and the Champions League. This season City is still in contention for four trophies.
By contrast United crashed out of both domestic cup competitions at the earliest possible stage, is seventh in the Premier League and didn't qualify for any European competition.
Ruben Amorim last week became the sixth permanent United manager to be dismissed since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Former player Carrick was hired this week until the end of the season while United's hierarchy weigh up its long-term options.
One of those could include Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, who announced on Friday he will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season. The 51-year-old Austrian is reportedly being considered by United.
"I am looking for a new challenge,” Glasner said, adding he had not spoken to another club.
For now, Carrick has the hot seat and 17 games to make his case to stay in charge beyond this season.
“I’m eager to succeed," he said. "We’ve got a big job to do. It’s an important job and it always is here to win games and to play well and to to do it in a certain way.”
United's priority is to secure Champions League qualification from a top four position. Should Carrick achieve that, as well as provide the type of attacking soccer the club's fans crave, his case will be strengthened.
“We want to be top of the league ... but we've got to take some small steps towards that and European football would be a step forward and we've got to keep pushing.”
Victory against second-placed City at Old Trafford would be the perfect start for Carrick, who then has to prepare for a trip to league leader Arsenal.
United has had to get used to living in its neighbour's shadow since Ferguson departed.
The once dominant force in English soccer has not finished above City in the standings since taking the title in Ferguson's final season.
Since then City has won 18 major trophies and United five.
While United was runner-up twice to Guardiola's City, it finished 19 and 12 points adrift each time.
“It is what it is,” said Guardiola who has experienced far more intense rivalries in England with Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool and Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.
“You know since day one the opinion I have of Man United. But what happened (there), I don’t know because I’m not there.”
Despite City's bulging trophy cabinet, its head-to-head statistics in one-off games are much closer.
Carrick's first Manchester derby will be Guardiola's 27th, more than any other City manager. He has won 14 of them, including penalty shootouts and victories against each United manager he has faced from a list including Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick, Erik ten Hag and Amorim.
United has won nine.
The teams met in back-to-back FA Cup finals in 2023 and 24, winning one each.
City has enjoyed more dominant wins — scoring three or more goals on seven occasions — and in 2022 routed United 4-1 and 6-3.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola reacts after Erling Haaland missed a scoring opportunity during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
FILE - Manchester United's manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, right, and assistant Michael Carrick stand on the touchline during the English League Cup soccer match between Manchester United and West Ham at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson, File)
